We've sat next to Roberto Cavalli with our penne and prosecco at Bice (and yes, he did get up close and personal with our editor-in-chief Trish Halpin for a selfie), spotted Anna dello Russo wearing neon trainers, er, everywhere, and seen enough frescoed palazzos and Prada-wearing glamazons to last us through another dull rainy London winter. Si si - it can only have been Milan Fashion Week...
1. SS15 is going to be a summer of luuuurve
Some call it the decade that taste forgot, but if you put the Seventies through the Milano-scope, they come out the other end molto fabuloso. Amidst all the flowing hair, maxi dresses and fringing, special mention goes to Prada's belted camel leather coats and platform clogs, Cavalli's sheer feathered flares (don't try this at home) and Peter Dundas' beaded macrame dresses at Pucci. Which brings us on to...
2. Pucci puts on the glammest show in town
There were gilded mirrors, there were chandeliers, there were Renaissance cherubs all over the pistachio-tinted ceilings. Why, it could only be the Palazzo Serbelloni for the Emilio Pucci show. The parade of A-list models strode out at the speed of light in a blur of honeyed limbs and exquisite beaded cobwebs of macrame. By the time Naomi Campbell swirled by in a cloud of tie-dyed silk, we were in a swinging fringe induced trance. For high-octane party girl glamour, Peter is the man of Milan.
3. Dolce & Gabbana know places apart from Sicily exist
They've mined Southern Italy for inspiration since the dawn of time, producing whole collections based on black widows' lace, the mosaics from the Monreale cathedral and the street-theatre puppets of Sicily. But this season our favourite Milan duo looked at a map and realised - there's a whole continent out there. They didn't go far though, just popping over to the bullrings of Spain for an orgy of flamenco ruffles, blood red carnations and matador jackets. Olé!
4. Marni loves flowers
It's always been the go-to label for artsy floral prints but, for the house's 20th birthday, Consuelo Castiglione took things a step further. Yup, she opened a flower market. Just for Fashion Week, mind you. The Rotonda della Besana was turned into an Italian version of Hackney's Columbia Road, with stalls packed with blooms of every variety, printed canvas shoppers to carry them in and darling limited-ed products. We never thought a trowel would be on our must-have list, but that's the power of Marni for you.
5. The FROW is dead
Not literally, fashion fans - fear not! What we mean is this season was all about the clothes. Not an A-list Hollywood escapee in sight (only Amy Adams at Max Mara). The biggest FROW excitement was Coco Rocha's bob, which tells you something. Oh, and the small matter of Kate Moss at Gucci.
6. Milan has some new designers - finally
Watch out, London - after years of being known as the big brand capital, full of old school fashion royalty but precious little young blood, Milan has finally got some hot up and coming labels making a noise on the schedule. Say hello to Stella Jean, Marco de Vincenzo and Fausto Puglisi.
7. Life in plastic, it's fantastic
Barbie's got a whole new wardrobe and it's pink Moschino. What else? Jeremy Scott's second outing for the label was a tour de force of rollerskating models, waist-length blonde wigs and bubblegum pink prom dress frocks. We knew what was coming as soon as we got the invite - a giant pink plastic comb. But it didn't stop the frowniest fash critics from elbowing other eds out of the way to get to the dolls sitting on their FROW seats. The only worry - how will he top this next season?
